Non-refillable bottle.



A. KLEIN. NON-REPILLABLE BOTTLE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

ALBERT KLEIN, OF NEW YORK, N'. Y.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 5, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 637,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT KLEIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Non-Refillable Bottle, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in non-refillable bottles.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofnon-refillable bottles, and to provide a simple, efiicient andcomparatively inexpensive device, designedto prevent the reuse of abottle or other rereceptacle except by the manufacturer or owner of thesame, and equipped with a floatable indicating device, adapted to remainat the surface of the liquid and to descend within the bottle or otherreceptacle as the contents are consumed, and capable of indicating if aliquid is surreptitiously introduced into the bottle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bottle of thischaracter, adapted to remain in an upright position while removing itscontents until the indicator has reached the limit of its downwardmovement, and capable of reuse by a legitimate manufacturer or ownerwithout destroying or replacing any of the parts.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claimshereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope ofthe claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing :-Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of anon-refillable bottle, constructed in accordance with this invention.Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the indicator, theguiding ratchet bars being illustrated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a planview of the indicator. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line4-4 of Fig. 2, the ratchet guides being shown in full lines. Fig. 5 is ahorizontal sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention, 1 designates a bottle, but the improvementsare applicable to various liquid containing receptacles, such as jugs,casks, barrels, and the like. The bottle is provided on its interiorwith a vertical tubular guide 2 receiving an indicating float 3 anddepending from the top of the bottle at the junction of the body thereofand the neck 4: and terminating short of a false bottom 5, but theratchet guide may be extended to the bottom of the bottle, if desired.The false bottom 5 is arranged a sufficient distance above the lower endof the bottle to permit a glass to be placed under a faucet 6, locatedat or about the plane of the false bottom, so that the entire contentsof the bottle may be drawn off without tilting or inverting the bottle.This will enable the float to descend with the surface of the contentsfor accurately indicating the consumption of the same. The tubular guideis provided in its lower end wall with a perforation 2, and it has aperforation 2 in one of its side walls above the plane of the bottom, asclearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. When the indicating floatreaches the lower portion of the tube, it will close the sideperforation and be prevented from dropping to the extreme lower end ofthe tubular guide. The tubular guide, which is approximately the samediameter as the neck of the bottle, is provided at opposite sides withinterior ratchet teeth 7, formed on vertical ribs and arranged in avertical series and having inclined upper faces and provided at theirlower ends with horizontal shoulders, and adapted to be engaged byupwardly diverging hinged locking members 8, connected to the top of theindicating float 3 and normally held spread by springs 9, and adapted tolock the float against upward movement and at the same time per.- mitthe float to descend as the contents of the bottle are consumed. Thelocking members 8, which are constructed of sheet metal, or othersuitable material, consist of blades or wings and reduced portions orshanks 10. One of the shanks is provided with a centrally arranged eye11, and the other shank is bifurcated to receive the same and isprovided at opposite sides of the eye 11 with eyes 12. The eyes 11 and12, which are arranged in alinement, also register with eyes 13 of aband 14, extending around the indieating float and having its terminalsarranged at the top thereof and provided with the said eyes 13. The eyes11 and 12 of the locking members are connected with the eyes 13 by meansof a transverse pintle 15.

The indicating float 3, which may be constructed of cork, as illustratedin the accompanying drawing, can also be made of hollow glass or consistof a hollow metallic body of aluminum, or other suitable material havingsufficient buoyancy to float at the surface of the liquid or besupported by the same. The band, which passes around the indicatingfloat, is designed to be constructed of silver, or other suitable metalnot affected by the contents of the receptacle. The springs, which maybe constructed of any suitable resilient material are crossed, asclearly shown in Fig. 2, and they are secured at their upper ends to thelocking members, and their lower ends bear against the upper face of theindicating float. When the locking members are arranged in a horizontalposition prior to placing the indicating device within the bottle, thesprings are straight and when the locking members are swung upwardlytoward each other, the springs are flexed and tend to separate or urgethe locking members outwardly. The locking members are maintained inengagement with the teeth of the tubular guide by the spring and preventthe indicating float from rising within the bottle, and will clearlyindicate the fact if a liquid is surreptitiously introduced into thebottle through the faucet. The tubular guide is provided between thevertical ratchet ribs with smooth guiding portions for the cork or otherfloat.

The indicating float is provided at opposite sides with vertical grooves16 to receive the teeth, and the vertical side portions of the bands areprovided between their ends with grooves 17 conforming to theconfiguration of the grooves of the float and forming metallic liningsfor the same to prevent the cork from being worn by the teeth of theguide. The upright side portions of the bands are extended laterally ateach side of the grooves.

The neck of the bottle is designed to receive a stopper and to be sealedas indicated at 18 in Fig. 1 of the drawing. This seals the tubularguide and prevents access to the same, and the bottle cannot be openedwith out plainly indicating such fact, which will prevent the bottlefrom being surreptitiously refilled by any one. The bottle, or otherreceptacle is designed to be returned to the manufacturer or owner whoupon receiving an empty receptacle may remove the stopper and seal andrefill the bottle and reseal the same. The upper end of the indicatingtube may be sealed in any other preferred manner, and when the device isapplied to barrels or other receptacle not having a neck, a suitablestopper or seal will be applied to the guide 2 for preventing access tothe indicating float. When the stopper is removed from the neck of thebottle, the lockin members may be readily disengaged from t e teeth ofthe guide by a suitable tool, and may be held out of engagement whilethe float is withdrawn from the bottle prior to refilling the same.After the bottle is refilled, the indicating float is replaced and thebottle is then corked and sealed. In this manner the bottle may belegitimately refilled without destroying or replacing any portion of themechanism, for preventing fraudulent refilling, other than the stopperand the seal.

The receptacle is designed to be made sufficiently transparent toclearly show the indicating device, and when the guide is tubular, itwill, of course, be also transparent, so that the position of theindicating device may be readily seen.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the class described including a receptacle having a neckadapted to means, a vertical guide tube formed integral with thereceptacle and connected at the upper end to the lower end of the neckand forming a continuation of the same and having an outlet at the lowerportion communicating with the interior of the receptacle, the tube andthe neck being imperforate above the said outlet and the said tube beingalso provided with smooth guiding portions and having a longitudinal riblocated between the guiding portions and provided with teeth shoulderedat their lower ends, and a float slidable within the guide tube andprovided with means for engaging the teeth of the said rib, the lat terbeing removable through the neck when the stopper is withdrawn to permitthe bottle to be refilled.

2. A device of the class described including a receptacle having a neckadapted to receive a stopper and sealing means, a vertical guide tubeformed integral with thereceptacle and connected at the upper end to thelower end of the neck and forming a continuation of the same and havingan outlet at the lower portion communicating with the interior of thereceptacle, said tube being alsoprovided with smooth guiding portionsand havin longitudinal ribs located between the guiding portions andprovided with teeth shouldered at their lower ends, and a float slidablewithin the guide tube along the smooth guiding portions thereof andprovided with means for engaging the teeth of the ribs for normallylocking the float against upward movement, said float being removablethrough the neck of the receptacle when the stopper is withdrawn forrefilling the said receptacle.

3. A device of the class described including a receptacle having anoutlet and provided with an upright guide having opposite ratchet teeth,an indicating float slidable along the guide, upwardly diverging lookingmembers hinged at their lower ends to the float, and crossed springssecured at their upper ends to the locking members and bearing at theirlower ends against the float and arranged to urge the locking membersoutwardly.

4. A device of the class described including a receptacle having anoutlet and provided with an upright guide having ratchet teeth, anindicating float slidable along the guide, a band extending around thefloat and provided at its terminals with eyes arranged at the top of thefloat, a locking member engaging the teeth of the guide, and a pintlepivoting the locking member to the band and passing through the eyesthereof so as to connect the terminals of the same.

5. A device of the class described including a receptacle provided witha neck, a tubular guide of approximately the same diameter as the neckand depending from the lower ends of the same and forming a continuationof the walls thereof and having a lower end wall spaced from the bottomof the receptacle and provided with an opening, an indicating floatcontained within the guide and slidable along the same, and means forautomatically locking the float against upward movement to cause thesame to descend as the contents of the receptacle are consumed.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaffixed my signa ture in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT KLEIN.

Witnesses:

O'r'ro GREENBERGER,

A. M. NEHRING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

